Pokemon GO Rocket Guide: Team Leader Line-ups & Best Counters (January 2025)

Conquering Pokémon GO's Team GO Rocket Leaders: Sierra, Arlo, and Cliff

Whether you're a seasoned trainer or just starting your Pokémon GO journey, defeating Team GO Rocket Leaders is crucial for research tasks and acquiring powerful Shadow Pokémon. However, their ever-shifting lineups and strong Shadow Pokémon make these battles challenging. This guide provides the intel you need to overcome Sierra, Arlo, and Cliff, no matter which leader appears in your area.

Quick Navigation:

• Locating Team GO Rocket Leaders
• Sierra's Current Team & Counters
• Arlo's Current Team & Counters
• Cliff's Current Team & Counters

Finding Team GO Rocket Leaders

Unlike regular Team Rocket Grunts, Leaders are elusive. To summon a Leader, you must first defeat six Grunts. Each defeated Grunt drops a Mysterious Component. Six Components combine to create a Rocket Radar. Grunts appear randomly at PokéStops, and a hot air balloon containing a Grunt spawns every six hours, following you for 20 minutes. Once you have a Rocket Radar, Leaders replace Grunts at darkened PokéStops and in hot air balloons.

Sierra's January 2025 Team & Counters

Sierra, known for her cunning tactics, presents a diverse challenge. Her January 2025 team includes:

Pokémon 1	Pokémon 2	Pokémon 3
Skorupi (Bug/Poison)	Sableye (Dark/Ghost)	Houndoom (Dark/Fire)
	Steelix (Ground/Steel)	Nidoqueen (Ground/Poison)
	Milotic (Water)	Gardevoir (Fairy/Psychic)

Effective counters include:

Pokémon	Moves
Terrakion	Smack Down, Rock Slide
Gengar	Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball
Excadrill	Metal Claw, Iron Head

Arlo's January 2025 Team & Counters

Arlo's team for January 2025 offers a varied challenge:

Pokémon 1	Pokémon 2	Pokémon 3
Alolan Grimer (Poison/Dark)	Hypno (Psychic)	Metagross (Psychic/Steel)
	Charizard (Flying/Fire)	Scizor (Bug/Steel)
	Gyarados (Flying/Water)	Snorlax (Normal)

Prepare for Flying, Psychic, and Poison types with counters like:

Pokémon	Moves
Tyranitar	Bite, Brutal Swing
Blaziken	Fire Spin, Blast Burn
Excadrill	Mud Slap, Drill Run

Cliff's January 2025 Team & Counters

Cliff's January 2025 lineup focuses on powerful Pokémon:

Pokémon 1	Pokémon 2	Pokémon 3
Cubone (Ground)	Venusaur (Grass/Poison)	Tyranitar (Dark/Rock)
	Marowak (Ground)	Obstagoon (Dark/Normal)
	Aerodactyl (Flying/Rock)	Crobat (Flying/Poison)

Prepare for Dark, Ground, Flying, and Poison types using these counters:

Pokémon	Moves
Mamoswine	Powder Snow, Avalanche
Lucario	Force Palm, Aura Sphere
Blaziken	Counter, Blast Burn

This guide will be updated as Team GO Rocket Leader lineups change. Stay prepared for whatever Pokémon GO throws your way!

Pokémon GO is available now on mobile devices.

Last updated 1/14/2025